Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set for a new update, but hidden among the fixes is one that may threaten a certain pair of Pokémon. A glitch that accidentally empowered a specific strategy has been identified and addressed, weakening it for the upcoming update. While this is a heavy blow, it has to be wondered if it will ruin the Pokémon's viability altogether.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Update 1.2.0 will be fixing a lot of the bugs that remain in the game even months after its release. Most of these are issues that fans will be glad to see the back of, such as those that cause the game to display false information or even force itself to close in the worst cases. Scarlet and Violet's reputation as Pokémon's glitchiest games came as a result of so many unresolved issues at launch, and the February update will hopefully help to clear many of those problems. A few quality-of-life changes will be added as well for convenience's sake.
Scarlet & Violet's Update Will Nerf Dondozo's Order Up Move
Tatsugiri and Dondozo from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have an unusual relationship. If both are on the field in a double battle, Tatsugiri's Commander ability will cause it to leap into Dondozo's mouth. As a result, all of Dondozo's stats will increase by two stages, and Tatsugiri will become untargetable by any moves. As a bonus, every time Dondozo uses its signature Order Up move with Tatsugiri in its mouth, it receives an additional stat boost depending on the form of the Tatsugiri in question. Even though Tatsugiri's look is on par with Scarlet and Violet's silliest new Pokémon, the buffs it gives the already-bulky Dondozo make it an excellent option.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's Update Will Change Dondozo Glitch
One part of Dondozo and Tatsugiri's synergy was unexpectedly subject to a glitch. Every time Dondozo used Order Up, it would receive the stat boost regardless of whether it hit. As it turns out, it's only supposed to apply the bonus upon a successful hit, meaning that Dondozo had been receiving boosts that they shouldn't have gotten. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Update 1.2.0, the Order Up glitch is among those being fixed, raising concerns about Dondozo and Tatsugiri's competitive future, since this is a serious nerf. After all, they benefited from a glitch that gave them an unfair advantage in competition, albeit not enough to get them banned from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's competitive scene.
Even though Tatsugiri and Dondozo are losing the Order Up bug, that shouldn't be enough to make them completely inviable in the future. A Commander-influenced Dondozo is still a bulky physical attacker, and the stat boosts from Tatsugiri make it even stronger while shoring up its weaker special and Speed stats. It has powerful moves such as Earthquake and Thrash at its disposal and still gets stat boosts from Order Up, just not when it misses. Combined with powerful STAB physical moves like Liquidation and Wave Crash, Dondozo can still be fearsome with a proper setup. Considering that Dondozo is Scarlet and Violet's strongest Titan Pokémon, this seems fitting.
The removal of the Order Up glitch may be disappointing for users of Dondozo and Tatsugiri, but it won't be the end of them. Commander Dondozo is still the same physical threat, and most of the strategies involving it are still valid even without the Order Up glitch. Even though Dondozo and Tatsugiri are getting a nerf, they're still perfectly compatible with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's competitive scene.
Source: Nintendo Of America/YouTube